Beginning in September, he sits down and carves them while he watches television. Come Halloween night, 31 pumpkins will be on display in his yard, on his roof, in the trees.

"You can't do the intricate stuff on real pumpkins," he says. "They won't last one night."

Switch to 17-year-old Sami Siebenthal, of Bartonville, and her real pumpkin with the stenciled carving of her favorite Alice in Wonderland character, the Mad Hatter. It's been outside the family home since early this month and she fears it will be completely rotted by Halloween.

Like Siebenthal, John Achterberg, of Peoria, can't claim sole credit for his pumpkin version of Mount Rushmore. He used a template. But he does know, as Golden says, how quickly intricate carvings on real pumpkins start to shrivel.

Still, his pumpkins are carved memorials of historic sites he's visited. Last year, it was Mount Rushmore. This year, it's pumpkinized versions of the Liberty Bell and the Lincoln Memorial - if he finds the time.

Achterberg's process is a little time consuming. He places the template on the pumpkin, uses punch pins to outline the design, then he removes the template and uses a carving saw to finish.

Obviously, he likes patriotic pumpkins. This year, however, he opted not to carve political candidates. Apparently, not as fun as carving Obama pumpkins in 2008.

As a kid, he was always kind of disappointed if he only had one pumpkin to carve.

"It's like baking one cupcake: OK. It's over."

Now, Kruger carves hundreds of them for the yearly Carve for the Carillon that prepares jack-o'-lanterns for the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, which is in its sixth year and showcased more than 2,000 illuminated, hand-carved pumpkins as a fundraiser for the Rees Memorial Carillon in Springfield's historic Washington Park.

An old-fashioned guy, Kruger still carves free hand, mostly faces, but he also carves designs and logos into pumpkins.

He bemoans how many families have simplified holiday traditions - for instance by putting up artificial Christmas trees instead of real ones.

"Halloween is the one thing I think that's kind of held the tradition. You still have the opportunity to carve. It's still kind of down to its basic best."

GateHouse reporter Tamara Browning contributed to this report.

also carves designs and logos into pumpkins.

He bemoans how many families have simplified holiday traditions - for instance by putting up artificial Christmas trees instead of real ones.

"Halloween is the one thing I think that's kind of held the tradition. You still have the opportunity to carve. It's still kind of down to its basic best."

Gatehouse reporter Tamara Browning contributed to this report.

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